Hunter and the Hart

The Wonder of the Wild Hart, pt 1

Mama always told me that I was destined for great things, that every woman in our bloodline had been. She would tell me stories of ancestors and cousins who created great magics, weaving love and light into the wind and stars, or barriers that encompassed people or houses protecting them from whatever you could think of, ranging from negative thoughts to even bullets. Mama said that every one of us has our own specialty, a magic that we can use better than we can use other magics, or a magic that others can't use. For Mama, that magic is a bit different than others, because she can imbue magic into things. She never taught me a word for it. She could inject her magic into drinks or foods and make them heal people, or even amplify the magical properties of different types of plants. For my sister Jaime, that was the ability to talk to plants, so she always knew what they needed. My cousin Lizzy could summon storms from perfectly clear skies, or even disperse clouds so that the sun could shine down for the family picnic. Mama told me of a grandmother, Mirabelle, who could touch a person or something that belonged to them and see things. She could touch a person's hand and tell them their future, or find a lost person by holding their locket. There was so much wonder in the world, and magics that adapted to each person, or people who adapted to different magics. 

As Mama and I sat in the living room, her hands running through my hair, a knock sounded from the front door. Mama seemed to be excited as she skipped down the hall, her auburn hair bouncing around her shoulders. I loved seeing Mama skip like that. She hummed softly, her skip slowly morphing into a fluid dance as she spun happily. I smiled to myself as I ran into the kitchen where Daddy was making lunch.

"Daddy! Daddy!" I bounced at his feet, a deep chuckle rumbling from his massive chest.

"What do you need, my sweet?" He lifted me up in his arms, rubbing his stubbly cheek against mine. "Oh, 8 years old already." He fake sniffled. "Where does the time go? Soon my sweet little bubbly girl is gonna be all grown up and talking about boys. I am definitely not prepared for that." His deep blue eyes looked into mine, his eyes misting slightly. "Promise me that you'll never grow up."

"I promise Daddy!" I chirped, throwing my arms around his neck happily. "But what's for lunch? I'm really hungry." I gave him my best puppy eyes and he chuckled at me. 

"We're having sandwiches today, since you and Mama have a lot to do tonight." He brushed a stray lock of hair behind my hair as Mama popped into the kitchen.

"Guess who's here, ladybug?" I turned to Mama confused. 

"But, everybody's here, right?" She smiled like a kid who just got the last cookie, and motioned down the hall. 

"Where's our little ladybug?" A sing-song voice floated through the house, and Mama laughed as I scrunched up my face, wondering where I heard it before.

I gasped, flapping my arms, and struggled as Daddy put my bare feet on the warm wood of the kitchen floor. "Aunt Ava!" I scramble down the hall, careful not to trip on my skirt as I skid to a stop in front of her. "Nobody told me you were coming!" I launch myself at her waist, giggling. 

"Well, I couldn't miss my darling niece's big ceremony. Oh, 8 years old, what a wonder for a young witch." She brushes her fingers over my cheek, a distance in her eyes. "It's something that will really change everything, my dear." She glances up at Mama. "Remember ours, Katrina?" She smirks slightly as Mama blushes a deep scarlet. 

"Oh, I remember. You set fire to Uncle Ray's yard, and enchanted half the neighborhood." The whole house laughs happily. 

"Why did nobody tell us that Aunt Ava was coming?" My big brothers enter the kitchen, backpacks slung over their shoulders.

"Caleb, Christopher, go ahead and head up to your room and get your homework started." Daddy smiles softly, ruffling their hair. "We'll be having lunch in a little bit, so I hope you didn't fill up on snacks over at your Uncle's house." They both laugh and run up the stairs, pushing each other's shoulders. 

"Moooooooom! Caleb pushed me!" Jaime pouted as she came down, rubbing her arm. I always thought that she should be more mature, since she's 12, but Mama never said anything about it. 

"Caleb! Don't push your sister!" Mama sighed softly, still smiling, as she pulled Jaime into a hug. "Now, girls, lets go get the lunch that your dad was nice enough to make for us." She pulled us into the kitchen, and I hopped up on a stool. 

"Yay! Sandwiches!" I stopped and blinked at the plate. "Are those, witches?" I blinked curiously at the cut out sandwiches. 

"Yes, yes they are." Daddy said proudly, causing Mama and Aunt Ava to groan as Jaime and I double over giggling. 

"Daddy, you're so weird!" I managed to stutter out as I gasped for breath from our laughing fit. 

After lunch Mama and Aunt Ava sat and walked me through tonight's ritual again and again. By the time we were ready to leave, I could probably have given Mama the instructions backwards and upside down. Jaime and I sat in the back of Aunt Ava's car, playing cat's cradle, humming along to the music that was playing on the radio. I smiled to myself as a line from my favorite song came on. 

"On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?" I leaned my head over on Jaime's shoulder as I whispered the female lines. She just looked at me and laughed.

"You are so weird. Why do you like those lines? The whole intro is so creepy." She shook her head, her loose waves brushing over my nose making me sneeze. 

"It's not creepy," I protested, sighing dreamily, "it's romantic."

As Jaime opened her mouth to argue her point, Mama tapped our knees. "C'mon girls, we're here." She opened the doors for us, and we stepped out into a beautiful clearing nestled deep within the woods. 

A stone pedestal stood proud and lonesome in the center, and I couldn't help but feel sad for it. I walked carefully, lifting the hem of my white dress, stepping my bare feet carefully over the nettles littering the forest floor. The scent of the forest wrapped around me in such a way as I'd never felt before, almost like the stone itself was calling the magic in my veins to surge like a tidal wave. I could hear Mama's voice, but it was distant, muted, and it reminded me of the time when Mama tried to call me when I was under the water at the lake last summer. Slowly, everything else faded away, the only thing that I could see was the stone, the only sounds I could hear was the whispering of the wind in the branches, and what sounded like a steady drumming, maybe a heartbeat, that seemed to be calling me. I walked toward it, the soft leaves and dry earth crackling slightly beneath my feet. I placed my hand gently on the stone, and it was like everything came into focus, the soft scurrying of the squirrels, the fluttering feathers of startled birds, the wind that danced through my hair, and above all, the howling of wolves.

I tilted my head as I looked over the stone and deeper into the forest. There shouldn't be wolves out here. Mama said that there weren't any wolves. Before I could say anything to Mama, I was pulled away from the stone, and all at once the panicked voices of the women in the clearing crashed over me. All of the noise poured into me like running water into a small cup, and as darkness overtook my senses, I thought I heard someone whispering to me.